'No human bias is involved as happens in active funds.'
'The stockbroker should have a good balance sheet to support its scale of operations. It should also have proper risk management in terms of margins so that it doesn't go bankrupt during extreme market movements.' 'The broker must have a track record of navigating several market cycles in an ethical and transparent manner.'
Rebalance your portfolio in case it has become overweight on equities vis-a-vis your strategic asset allocation.
Try to assess whether the broker has good knowledge of the prices prevailing in the area you are interested in, and is able to provide the pros and cons of various projects.
Keep revising the sum insured at the time of renewal to keep it in line with inflation.
The impact of currency depreciation can also be mitigated by holding a portion of your investment portfolio in dollar-denominated assets.
'You may opt for a longer minimum guaranteed tenure of 12-18 months. This will ensure that in a rising rental scenario, the landlord doesn't serve you a notice and ask you to vacate the property.'
Keep track of your foreign remittances to avoid giving incorrect declarations as these could be held against you.
Balanced advantage funds have the potential to earn superior risk-adjusted returns for the investor and offer a smoother investment journey.
Remember, pension from EPS will be taxable at slab rate, reducing the post-tax income for people who remain in the higher tax brackets after retirement.
Group term insurance is far more cost-effective than an individual cover.
'Non-par plans returns are not market-linked. Hence, they can offer guaranteed returns.'
'Negotiate a longer agreement with the escalation clause fixed now.' 'This will enable you to control future cost increases.'
'Investors don't have to worry about underperformance in passive funds, which earn market-equivalent returns.'
Outward remittances in February under the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) liberalised remittance scheme (LRS) fell 23 per cent over January, latest data released by the central bank, in its monthly bulletin, revealed. In February, Indians remitted $2.1 billion under the RBI's liberalised scheme. On a year-on-year (YoY) basis - aided by international travel - LRS jumped 15.24 per cent. Further, in April 2022-February 2023, outward remittances under LRS stood at $24.18 billion, an all-time high.
While equity savings funds could offer higher returns over three-five years, they would also be more volatile.
Contrary to expectations, the new business premium (NBP) of life insurance companies dropped 12.62 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in March 2023 due to an over 30 per cent drop in Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India's premiums, albeit on a high base. Data released by the Life Insurance Council shows the industry racked up NBP of Rs 52,081 crore in March 2023, compared with Rs 59,608.83 crore in the year-ago period. NBP is the premium acquired from new policies in a year. It is the sum of the first-year premium and single premium, reflecting the total premium received from new businesses.
Avoid discontinuing your SIPs. Persist for at least 7-10 years.
'Banks will continue to increase FD rates to attract more deposits and meet the increasing demand for credit.'
The four public sector general insurance companies -- New India Assurance, United India Insurance, Oriental Insurance, and National Insurance Company -- have lost 800 basis points (bps) in market share in last five years to their private counterparts, the data from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irdai) revealed. In 2018-19, the four had a cumulative market share of 40.04 per cent, with New India Assurance having a market share of 14 per cent and United India Insurance with a market share of 9.63 per cent. But, gradually in the past five years, these state-backed firms have lost their market share to private sector players, due to the declining health of their business.
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